Improvement in the mode of making combined wood-and-wire fence



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GEORGE FLETCHER, SR., OF GREENSBURG, INDIANA.

Letters Patent No. 84,180, dated November 17, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MODE OF Gf COMBINED WOOD-AND-WIRE FENCE.

The` Schedule refen'ed to in these Letters Patent and making part of 'the same.

To whom it may conce/rn'.-

Be it known 'that 1,; GEORGE FLETCHER, Sr., of Greensburg, Decatur county, Indiana, have invented a new and useful Vood-and-W'ire Fence', and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification'.

The object of my inif'enti'on is to form a fence composed, for the most part, of poles, saplings, or brushwood, held together' by wire attached to suitable posts or trestles, and braced in'a peculiar manner, the said fence being of such a character and constructionthat its parts may bc formed by weaving in a suitable loom, such as herein described, and which is the suhiect of the second part of my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my fence in process'of construction within the loom.

.Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6 are side elevations of different forms of my fence.

Figures 4 and 7 are en d elevations of theforms shown in figs; 3 and 6, respectively. l

My fence consists essentially of a series of palings, A, which, for economyfs sake, I prefer, in most cases', to consist of poles or sticks, such as abound in the debris of new elearings or iu the second or under-growth of oid ones. These poles may be trimmed to a length, as in figs. 1 and 2, or may be left untrimmed at their upper ends, as in iigs. 5 and 6.

The said poles are secured together in a panel, of any desired size, by means of strands, B, of wire woven or interlaced around them, the said wires being so grouped or coupled together as to hold the poles firmly between them, on the principle of a woven fabric.

1n order to fabricate this fence, the wires may be stretched on simple tenter-hooks, and the poles inserted consecutively by hand, but, for the sake of greater expedition, acciuacy, and cheapness, I prefer to form my said fence by and upon a loom of peculiar construction, and which will be described in the sequel.

A panel, as above described, of proper length, having been prepared, is secured either to posts, C, planted in the ground, or to stone sleepers, D, through the mcdium ofA stiles, E, and brace-wires, F, or to suitable triangular trestles, such as are now employed in many forms of portable fences.

" The attachment to the posts may be by engaging the wires around'nails or studs, c, and to the stiles by sim-- ply winding the wire with one or more turns around them, as shown in figs. 3 and 4.

Where the poles are trimmed off to a length, they may have the further finish of a cap, G, and abaseboard, H.

For additional security, short posts, I, may be placed at suitable intervals between the main posts, and be attached to the -lower course of wires by a staple, t'.

Theloom employed by me is constructed as follows.:

K is a frame, mounted on ground-wheels, L, and having, at one end, a common warp-beam, M, with customary crank lmv and ratchet mf. To this beam the wires are attached and wound, said wires being carried' forward through a suitable pair of mutually-balanced hcddles, N, suspended by bands, O, from opposite sides of two shafts, l I", of which the upper shaft, I), has, outside of the frame, a T-head, p, bearing, at its op'- posite ends, two sth-rups, Q Q', for the alternate elevation of the heddles.

R is a hatten, showing hooked rods, r 4^', which engage in notches', S S, in the frame, and are thus suspended either parallel to the heddles or in an oblique position, as shown in lig. 1, so as to enable the consecutive poles to assume a fan-like arrangement, as shown, to adapt the fence to a hill or hollow, as the case may be.

'1 is a roller, over which the work passes as it becomes finished.

U is a crab, having one or more legs, u, and tWo sharpened anchor-posts, u', for entering the ground.

Projecting upward and rearward from the crab is a series of pins or hooks, u, one for each pair of wires.

V is a knife attached to the frame of the loom, and

serving both to sever the superfiuousends of the poles,

and as a gauge therefor.

The operation of the above loom is as follows:

A suiiicient number of poles being provided, are, with the loom and its described appurtenances, carried to the ground or field upon which it is desired to erect the fence, and wire being wound upon the warp-beam, the respective wires of each pair are drawn through their appropriate heddles, as at 1 and 2, iig. 1, and through their appropriate reeds, fr, of the batten. The ends of each.

pair of wires are then made fast to their proper pin, u, and the heddles being worked by one attendant by means of 'the stirrups Q Q', so as to open a shed, another, at the proper juncture, trims and inserts a pole, and beats it back to its place'by means of the batten R.'

I claim herein as new, and of my .invention- 1. The mode Aof constructing a wood-and-Wire fence, by means of a stationary crab or anchor, U, and a loom, adapted to be drawn over the ground, in manner substantially as set forth.

2. In the described combination, thesuspended and detachable batten R and notch'es S S, as and for the purpose stated. v

3. In this connect-ion, the gauge or knife V upon the frame K.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.n

GEORGE FLETCHER, SR. Witnesses:

GEO.- H. KNIGHT, JAMES H. LAYMAN. 

